What Lincoln Means to Others

Remarks by Senator Richard J. Durbin Assistant Majority Leader What Lincoln Means to Me Feb. 9, 2009 Greetings acknowledgments Thank you, Peter Kovler, for those generous words.  And please accept the sincere thanks of the entire Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

From the plains of the American Midwest to the frozen steppes of Russia to the rice paddies of Vietnam, Abraham Lincoln is known, revered and quoted. This is all the more remarkable considering his harsh impoverished childhood and lack of formal education.

Congressman Hill represents Indiana's 9th District. First elected in 1998, Rep. Hill is a leading advocate on education.  He authored the Smaller Schools, Stronger Communities Act encouraging funding and smaller classrooms.  His legislation is based on research that concludes children learn

Jean Powers Soman, an author, transcribed the Civil War letters and researched the life of her great great grandfather, Colonel Marcus Spiegel.  Based on these, she co edited the book, A Jewish Colonel in the Civil War.  She has also

President Abraham Lincoln left several huge legacies which have been passed down to the latest generation of Americans.  Too often, however, we simply remember him as the one who issued the Emancipation Proclamation.  That action finally led to the freeing of all the slaves when the 13^th Amendment was passed at the insistence of Lincoln.

My family’s experience in the civil rights movement, which Lincoln so inspired, has shaped my thinking and guided my work as a member of Congress.  Likewise, my belief that history – and in particular, Abraham Lincoln – holds relevance to our lives has played a significant part in my development as a person.  I believe Lincoln’s leadership as president, his wisdom, and his belief in the bedrock American principles of freedom and democracy are all guideposts we can continue to follow today in building a more perfect Union.